Denmark’s Thomsen out to gain place in national team

CHRISTIAN Lind Thomsen may be an answer to Denmark’s search for new stars if his determination is anything to go by.

While most of the Danish players have opted out of the Malaysian Open Grand Prix Gold championships, the unheralded 24-year-old has made his way to Johor Baru to prove a point.

Thomsen wants to show that he deserves a place in the national team. He has failed in his last few attempts to make the grade.

Thomsen, who trains under badminton legend Morten Frost at Aarhus, showed promise yesterday, beating Malaysian veteran Mohd Roslin Hashim 21-18, 21-14 in the first round. In the second round, he lost to Andre Kurniawan Tedjono of Indonesia 18-21, 19-21.

“I am trying other ways to prove myself. That is why I am here in Malaysia. The win over Roslin was good for me even though he was not at his best,” said the sixth ranked Da­nish shuttler.

“I hope to gain some attention back home. Currently, there is a big gap between our top player, Peter Gade-Christensen, and the back-up players.

“I took up the sport when I was seven and I have been training full time for the last four years. Eventually, I want to break into the top 20 in the world rankings.”

However, Thomsen, who is now ranked at No. 65, is realistic over his chances to represent Denmark in major tournaments, among them the Thomas Cup Finals in Kuala Lumpur next year.

“But give me another two years. I hope to be in Danish team and win honours for the country,” he said.